Stage Fright

Larry

"Uncle Larry"
Anyone suffer from this?

How do you deal?
 
Breathe.

The biggest thing I don't do when I get nervous is I forget to breathe right. I hold my breath, concentrate too much on the playing and everything suffers.

When you concentrate on breathing instead, you relax, get more oxygen to your brain and muscles and get to think about something other than potentially screwing up or how there's a big name drummer on the bill with you, and he's probably watching you right now from stage left dissecting every movement you make and mentally questioning your questionable excuse for technique... Well, you get the picture.
 
I only have an occasional issue if I'm not confident about the parts I'm going to play, but I suspect that's simple nervousness. Combatting that is just a case of making sure I'm comfortable with my parts through preparation.

As for actual stage fright, I've never had it, and I'm not sure why. I'm fine in front of 10 people, or 10,000, or knowing that millions will see me on TV. I'll guess that being confident prevents it from being an issue, because I'm normally prepared to play my best.

Bermuda
 
Like Dr. Watso, breathing "intentionally", and also focusing as much as possible on the other instruments and vocals... Getting caught up in the song and not the crowd. It was the music that got me onstage, let it be the music that keeps me (focused) on stage...
 
Almost never anymore.

An exception did happen last fall, though. I took a gig with a touring musician from Australia who was a finalist on a TV show called Australia's Got Talent. We played two shows on back-to-back nights; one near Chicago and another in rural Michigan. We had about a week to learn a set list and then one rehearsal and that was it. I wrote charts for all the songs he had online, so I at least felt prepared. A friend who plays bass, me and the artist loaded our stuff into a van and spent a weekend on the road.

The artist was the headliner for the Michigan show, but the first night we opened for BoDeans. The thing that got in my head was when he told me he was looking forward to reconnecting with the BoDeans' drummer, whom he had worked with in the past: Kenny Aronoff.

Once I found out I'd be sharing a stage with Kenny, I got a little freaked. Got to meet him and he's a super-nice guy. INCREDIBLE energy. I can't even describe it. But when I was tuning my drums and he was behind me tuning his... for a guy like me, that was kind of surreal and I was starstruck. Then, during soundcheck, the artist wanted to change a bunch of parts. He's listing them off faster than I can write them down.

Long story short, we did it. Got through the set and the audience seemed to love it. But I was gritting my teeth the whole time. Just relying on muscle memory and my charts to survive it. It was a bit overwhelming, especially hanging with Kenny and BoDeans in the green room trying to eat (no appetite, afraid of throwing up). It wasn't my best playing, and I'd go back and change a lot. But we found a way.

The next night in Michigan, the nerves were gone. But that night, it felt like the first time I got on a stage and played drums for an audience all over again.
 
I never had it, part of which I attribute to my parents encouraging me into public speaking as a kid. Now I teach it at college.

Stage fright, or performance anxiety, is one of the most common phobias known, especially when applied to public speaking. I think that musical performance can be fairly equated with public speaking because of the emotional content and the feeling of vulnerability.

One of my class texts is Speak With Courage by Martin McDermott (ISBN 978-1-4576-3834-3). It is chock full of strategies and thinking points meant to reduce performance anxiety. I found myself on the initial readthrough to find many of them applicable to musical performance as well.

One of the most important points I go through with my students is that although a large component of stage fright is fear of failing or making mistakes, you can easily overcome that fear with practicing, and by remembering that nobody came to your speech (or performance) wanting you to fail or do a bad job.

Obviously bashing bands and musicians is pretty common ("That drummer really sucked, man"), but nobody comes out to the show with a predetermined attitude to dislike you or be on your case. We've had several threads here about the gigs we thought we did horribly at, only to get some of our most effusive praise. That in itself should be a clue as to how overly self-critical we can be, which feeds into stage fright.
 
I think a healthy bit of nervousness is good, it keeps us on edge and focused………

That being said, when I have felt nervous or had anything close to stage fright was when I wasn’t really comfortable with the parts or the songs etc, like Bermuda mentioned.

Breathing is huge……when I am uptight about a section or song, that is the first sign I’m tightening up……I need a relaxed body to be in the “groove” and being all stiff etc. sucks

I used to feel a lot of pressure when I was in wedding bands during the key songs…..first dance, father daughter etc. as you don’t want to be the guy that effs that moment up right? Plus you know it would be relived for eternity on video etc. Now that I think about it, those were the times I was most at risk to turd myself…….after we got through those, we just jammed loosely
 
Knock on imitation simulated wood paneling, I've never had it playing drums, whether in front of 5 or 25000 people.

Now on guitar, it's a total different story. I went to a guitar gathering a couple of times where players gathered from all around the country. There were beginning hacks like me up to touring professionals. In the song circles, I was fine. I could watch many of these guys and keep up. When it came my turn for a solo performance on stage, I thought I was ready. I started off well, then missed a string, and totally froze. My mind went totally blank. Embarassed as #@!!, I slinked off stage and looked for a place to hide. All of these guys were really supportive, and I've learned a lot since then, but I still can't get up on stage with a guitar in my hand.

Shook me up so bad, the next day I wrote my first song about it.
 
I used to compete at dressage, and nothing compares to the terrifyingness of that. It's just you, sitting on half a tonne of potential death or serious injury, being judged both officially and unofficially, against criteria that are both technical and subjective, with absolutely nobody to bail you out and nobody else to blame. On the plus side, you get one hell of an adrenaline rush!

I rarely get stage fright when I play drums, but when I do I have two strategies, both of which involve self-deception. In the first place I make myself smile (the last time, a few weeks ago at my most important gig to date, one of my chickens had just laid her first-ever egg, greeny-blue in colour, and I was so chuffed to bits I couldn't help grinning every time I thought about it); in the second place, I make myself play with conviction. This then gives me genuine confidence, which makes me play better, which makes me smile, which makes me play with more confidence ... it's all good. And of course I have the safety net of my bandmates, which is a great feeling.
 
I used to have major stage fright issues. Mostly came from lack of self confidence and having been bullied a lot when I was younger. I had a bad stutter and was rather short, one of the worst combinations.

Back in high school I was in concert and pep band, was nervous and scared, but I did like playing.

As an adult I started a band and a lot of those insecurities resurfaced. My solution, get lost in the music. Practice until you know the music in your sleep. If I get nervous I usually avoid eye contact with the crowd and it passes pretty quickly. Stage lighting also helps as it obscures your view of the audience. After 100+ shows with two bands (mostly bar shows) It rarely bothers. In fact I have played in front of 500+ people with no issues, but in a smaller setting with people I know I'll get nervous.
 
I don't get stage fright, never have. On the contrary, I feel more at home there than anywhere else. But I try to avoid looking into people's eyes while I play because it robs from my flow. If I know someone is checking me out, it stirs my ego, and I lose the flow in my head for 1 second because my brainpower got diverted to my ego instead of sticking to the music.. I hate that! I purposely look above everyone and try to not pay attention to anyone staring at me. It works most of the time.
 
Try not to think too much. Just feel the music, pretend youre at a practice session and let it flow thru you
 
I don'r have Stage Fright, but you know what gets me a little nervous is when the guitar player or bass player walks really close to me, looks straight at me and wants to jam with me during a song. It make me feel like I need to do something extra that I'm not doing at the time, so I might try something extra and then flub it. So, after flubbing it a few times, now it makes me nervous. I just keep it steady now, and in the pocket.
 
...let it flow thru you

I like that metaphor, like just make yourself available to the energy/groove that's there for the taking. Find a point of entry and then just let it happen. And though it gets said a lot, "let the music play itself" is another idea I find useful.
 
I don'r have Stage Fright, but you know what gets me a little nervous is when the guitar player or bass player walks really close to me, looks straight at me and wants to jam with me during a song. It make me feel like I need to do something extra that I'm not doing at the time, so I might try something extra and then flub it. So, after flubbing it a few times, now it makes me nervous. I just keep it steady now, and in the pocket.

I totally relate to this. You don't have to do anything extra, maybe just smile.

BTW, just last night I had a dream and you were in it, playing drums. Not sure where.
 
I don't get stage fright, never have. On the contrary, I feel more at home there than anywhere else.

I've seen you write this kind of thing before Larry so I was surprised to see you start this thread. So now I'm curious, what gotcha thinkin' bout this?
 
I've seen you write this kind of thing before Larry so I was surprised to see you start this thread. So now I'm curious, what gotcha thinkin' bout this?

A Dave Weckyl interview where he talks about stage fright happening to him....before he goes onstage. Once he's there, everything is fine.

It struck me how a drummer of his level still has to deal with it.

I'm curious as to how pervasive it is.
 
I do remember having stage fright or nervousness before orchestra performances as a kid. I don't get it at all anymore. I have nervous energy the day of a gig but I forget about it completely and when we start to play it feels so natural. Now for tryouts, ya big time, maybe that is just nervousness, not sure. I have only ever had one tryout that I feel I played to my ability. Every other one I feel like I just didn't do my best because of nerves.

I do all that need to be done to play drums in a band in order to get to the live performance. See my signature below.
 
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